Random Posts
Random Posts displays a list of randomly chosen posts. The output can be customised in many ways.
Consider an alternative
Random Posts shows warning signs in 2026 — compare the alternatives below before installing. It runs on 300+ sites, is rated 2/5 and was last updated 9 years ago, and scores 24/100 on our health check.
- Small user base (300+ active installs)
- Very few reviews so far
- No update in 8 years
- Only tested up to WordPress 2.6 (latest is 7.1)
How does it stack up?
Side-by-side on installs, updates, ratings & support
Daily downloads
Download spikes usually follow a new release — each site that auto-updates counts as a download.
Rankings
Where Random Posts stands todayWordPress.org search rankings
Live position in the plugin search, top 100| Keyword | Position |
|---|---|
| post-plugins | >100 |
| posts | >100 |
| random | >100 |
| Random Posts | >100 |
Version adoption
Share of active sites per release.
Rating breakdown
★★★★★★★★★★ 2 from 1 reviews
About Random Posts
From the official readme · v2.6.2.0Description
Random Posts displays a list of randomly chosen posts. The output can be customised in many ways.
This plugin requires the latest version of the Post-Plugin Library: download it now.
Version History
- 2.6.2.0
- new {imagealt} output tag — rather like {imagesrc}
- {excerpt} can now trim to whole sentences
- content filter can now take parameter string
- widget can now take parameter string
- output can be appended to posts & feeds
- 2.6.1.0
- the current post can be marked manually
- widgets now honour the option to show no output if list is empty
- 2.6.0.1
- bug fix: installation code was failing on some systems
- 2.6.0.0
- version bump to indicate compatibility with WP 2.6
- fix to really include attachments
- new parameter for {imagesrc} to append a suffix to the image name, e.g. to get the thumbnail for attachments
- 2.5.0.11
- new option to include attachments
- {php} tag now accepts nested tags
- new output tag {authorurl} — permalink to archive of author’s posts
- 2.5.0.10
- fix for page selection in old versions of WP
- made omit current post try harder to find current post ID
- 2.5.0.9
- new option to match the current post’s author
- extended options for snippet and excerpt output tags
- 2.5.0.7
- new option to show by status, i.e., published/private/draft/future
- {categorynames} and {categorylinks} apply ‘single_cat_name’ filter
- fixes bug in WP pre-2.2 causing installation to fail
- 2.5.0
- {image} has new post, link, and default parameters
- new {imagesrc} tag
- fix to empty category bug
- excluded posts bug fix
- fix for intermittent bug with ‘omit current post’ option
- 2.5b26
- reverted thumbnail serving (speed)
- fix current post after extra query
- 2.5b25
- option to sort output, group templates
- removed ‘trim_before’ option added more logical ‘divider’
- {date:raw}, {commentdate:raw}, etc.
- fix for {image} resizing when and not
- {image} now serves real thumbnails
- 2.5b24
- fix for recursive replacement by content filter
- fix to {gravatar} to allow for ‘identicon’ etc.
- fix to {commenter} to allow trimming
- fix a warning in safe mode
- 2.5b23
- new option to filter on custom fields
- nested braces in {if}; condition now taggable
- improved bug report feature
- better way to omit user comments
- 2.5b22
- fixes for tag bugs
- show_pages option can now show only pages
- 2.5b19
- fix for content replacement filter
- 2.5b18
- fix output filter bug
- new conditional tag {if:condition:yes:no}
- 2.5b16
- fix for {php}
- 2.5b15
- fix bugs, add ‘included posts’ setting
- 2.5b14
- fix file-encoding, installation error, etc.
- 2.5b11
- some widget fixes
-
2.5b9
- clarifying installation instructions
Installation
-
IMPORTANT! If you are upgrading from a previous version first deactivate the plugin, then delete the plugin folder from your server.
-
Upload the plugin folder to your /wp-content/plugins/ folder. If you haven’t already you should also install the Post-Plugin Library>.
-
Go to the Plugins page and activate the plugin.
-
Put
<?php random_posts(); ?>at the place in your template where you want the list to appear or use the plugin as a widget. -
Use the Options/Settings page to adjust the behaviour of the plugin.
My web site has full instructions and information on customisation.
For developers
Is this your plugin? Show off the numbers.
Add a live badge to your site, docs or GitHub README. It updates on its own — no account needed.
Best Random Posts alternatives
All post-plugins plugins →FAQ
Random Posts: quick answers
Straight answers, pulled from live WordPress.org data.
Live data from WordPress.org · checked Sep 28, 2026
Is Random Posts free?
Yes. Random Posts is free to download and use from the official WordPress.org plugin directory.
Is Random Posts safe to use in 2026?
Random Posts shows warning signs in 2026 — compare the alternatives below before installing. It runs on 300+ sites, is rated 2/5 and was last updated 9 years ago, and scores 24/100 on our health check.
How many websites use Random Posts?
Random Posts is active on 300+ WordPress websites and has been downloaded 71,999 times since it launched in March 2008. It was downloaded 72 times in the last 30 days.
Does Random Posts work with WordPress 7.1?
Random Posts is officially tested up to WordPress 2.6.2, while the latest release is 7.1.2. It may still work, but try it on a staging site first.
When was Random Posts last updated?
The latest version, 2.6.2.0, was released on November 28, 2017 (9 years ago).
Who makes Random Posts?
Random Posts is developed and maintained by RobMarsh.
What are the best alternatives to Random Posts?
The most popular alternatives to Random Posts are Recent Posts Plus (900+ installs), Responsive Posts Widget (50+ installs) and Query Inside Post (10+ installs).
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